The Scientist
by Azalee13
Summary: [Pokemon ORAS/ Maxie/ Courtney/ Authorityshipping/Genre Comfort / Rated T/ After Delta Episode] Courtney and Maxie walk across each other for the first time after their apologies... Unsaid things are getting outspoken and two regretting hearts meet each other. Inspired by the song The Scientist by Coldplay


My friend C. helped me so much with this. I thank her so much!

This is inspired by the song The Scientist from Coldplay.

* * *

Courtney was in the grey kitchen, getting her coffee. She was still exhausted, her eyes were puffy from crying so much the day before when they both apologized to each other and her hair was messy. But while she was tired, at the same time, there was a strange calmness covering her, like the calm after a storm. She was only wearing her turtleneck dress, her other uniform pieces still in her room.

She took the big cup in her hands and was about to go to the table nearby in the room, when Maxie suddenly walked in.

Both stopped in their steps and an awkward silence stretched in the air. The clock on the wall ticked second after second. Courtney opened her mouth, tried to say something, anything. But her lips closed soon after and she looked away.

Maxie finally moved again, walked past her to put some of the freshly brewed coffee into another mug for himself. Courtney didn't know what to do so she sat down at the table.

There was that silence again, that awkward tension. She was still so ashamed. At the same time, every single part of her was so glad about how yesterday went, that he and Tabitha forgave her while Maxie asked for her forgiveness as well. She hadn't expected that. After what she tried to do, something as serious as trying to destroy the planet...

She was grateful but she guessed it would take some time until things would be... less awkward again.

Maxie walked over to the table and took a seat, right across of her. She looked up. There was no avoiding it now. Her heartbeat went faster.

His eyes were pinned on hers. They held sadness and exhaustion. She had never seen him like that...

"Leader Maxie..." she began, her voicing dying in her throat as she wondered what she would even say.

"Have you gotten sleep?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "I was...exhausted enough to sleep through... but I still...feel tired."

He nodded.

"How have... you slept?" she asked in return.

"Barely, to be honest," he admitted and looked down to his black coffee. "I couldn't stop thinking about everything. And I still feel regret."

"But you have redeemed your mistakes...in the best possible way!" Courtney's eyes were wide in her shock at his admission. Leader Maxie, weighed down by the consequences of his actions, by his emotions? Had she truly gotten through to him last night? Her eyes fell to her mug, realizing her outcry. After a pause, Courtney looked up again and said, "And I still feel sorry...too."

He looked back up at her with eyes full of gratitude.

"And you ... gave us a way to... correct that and work on ourselves... I always admired that side... of you. That noble and smart side. You forgave me... and admitted your own failures too... You gave us a possibility... to start all over again." She continued, pausing only to consider her words.

Courtney blushed during her heated speech but her eyes stayed fixed on his. They looked grateful and relieved.

"Thank you, Courtney," he said sincerely.

She smiled weakly and he returned the gesture.

Then there was silence again until Maxie began to speak.

"Courtney, I have never told you how much I need you," he admitted "Or how much you mean to me. And that was one of my biggest mistakes."

Had he... really just said that? Courtney was surprised by these words; it was a warm kind of comforting surprise, like a sunray coming out of grey clouds.

"You do?" she whispered, looking right at him.

"Yes," he laced his fingers together as he prepared to continue. "You see, there are sides of me that are weak. Sides that are full of fears...and you calm those. With you I feel safe... My affection for you heals my wounds and insecurities..."

Courtney blushed again, warmer than before, overwhelmed by his words. "It's weird... Because I feel exactly the same way... about you. Probably more than you...much more. But... I also made a big mistake...by not showing it too..." she continued, breaking eye contact again to stare at her cup.

The awkward silence was present again. Courtney was the one who broke it: "Leader Maxie?"

"Yes?" he replied and looked at her again.

"...Could I please... hug you?" she dared to ask, her heart beating faster. The idea came to her while she spoke about her regret; hugging him now would be a way to fix that.

He nodded, his eyes telling her in a rare moment of happiness how glad he was about her suggestion. She hadn't caught that glimmer before. Had her words caused it? He slowly stood up and opened his arms for her.

Courtney felt warmth spreading through her when she wrapped her arms around him, holding him gently. When was the last time she had hugged anyone like this? She couldn't remember. It had been the longest time.

Comfort. That was what they felt right now, in this moment, as Maxie's arms closed around her as well. A moment that was perfect just as it was, the two of them exchanging all of the emotions they couldn't put into words by holding one another. It felt like the awkward tension from before finally vanished.

Their grip tightened, Maxie leaned into her embrace and sighed as she buried her face into his chest. Her heart fluttered and butterflies danced in her tummy. It felt like a regenerating kind of energy floated out of him, right into her chest. Warmth was there, it was everywhere.

They held one another like this for a long time until they heard Tabitha's voice:"I'm so happy to see you like that."

They parted from each other and looked at him. He held a very sweet smile he only ever showed in the rarest of moments. They couldn't help but return it.

"Courtney," Tabitha said. "Welcome back into the Team."

She nodded, her cheeks getting red in joy and embarrassment.

Tabitha opened his arms, a gesture that offered a hug as well. Courtney came over smiling and Tabitha squeezed her tightly in his arms. The forgiveness and the acceptance felt wonderful. Hugging them like this. She guessed there were things that could only be expressed in this kind of gesture and she hadn't realised before how much she had missed it.

They parted and catched Maxie smiling warmly.

"Welcome back," he repeated.

As she gazed at his sparkling eyes she knew. She knew she was home.


End file.
